OldSarge

I was thinking the #2 on your list would be likely enough reason. The aircraft there have been attacking the South throughout the war. Getting some payback would be justified. Since we're still gaming out likely methods of attack, strict constraints on available resources to conduct a successful attack may have left Saki as the best target on a list of possible Crimean targets.

As they should. For the most part the UA has maintained relatively excellent OPSEC throughout this SMO, it is good to keep the enemy guessing. I do suspect that the US knows more than it is letting on, what happened or (almost as interesting) what didn't happen. I guess we'll have to continue narrowing down the likely possibilities ourselves. This is where the fun is anyway.

US SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.

From RFE/RL a Bureviy system on a Czech-built Tatra truck.

It is already hitting the news feeds. Mushroom cloud seen rising near Russian military airbase in Crimea though nothing is official yet.

The Oskosh JTLV would be an interesting vehicle to see in the mix. It is the replacement for the HMMV and adds quite a few tactical capabilities. Lithuania, Montenegro and Slovenia are using it as well.

An interesting part of his announcement was this: https://news.yahoo.com/us-pledges-1-billion-more-171353324.html So, the possibility of western aircraft isn't completely off the table.

It is that time of the week again and Perun drops a new video. Timestamps: 00:00:00 -- Opening Words 00:00:31 -- Russia's Most Feared Conventional Weapons 00:01:57 -- What Am I Covering? 00:02:45 -- Doctrine & History 00:03:03 -- Historic Aerospace Talent 00:04:25 -- Soviet Rocketry and Missile Programs 00:05:42 -- Rocketry as a Response 00:08:14 -- A Rocket and Missile Force 00:09:14 -- Doctrine and Usage 00:10:41 -- The Competing Forces 00:10:58 -- The Cutting Edge 00:13:31 -- The Kalibr Showpiece 00:15:11 -- The Old 00:16:34 -- The Improvised 00:18:47 -- Ukraine - the Old, the New, and yet to come 00:22:08 -- Missile Use In Ukraine 00:22:16 -- The Opening Salvos 00:24:22 -- Escalation 00:25:42 -- Send in the Museum Pieces 00:27:52 -- Note on Targeting 00:30:15 -- The Rebuttal 00:33:13 -- Performance Observations 00:33:28 -- Reliability and Performance 00:36:50 -- Targeting and Accuracy 00:41:18 -- Ukrainian use of GMLRS 00:43:59 -- Sustainability? 00:44:08 -- "They're running out" 00:45:39 -- Evaluating the Thesis 00:49:35 -- Production Capacity 00:52:53 -- So is this Sustainable? 00:54:54 -- Lessons for the others 00:55:03 -- ISR is Central 00:57:14 -- Consumption Rates 00:58:42 -- Capability Requirements 01:01:45 -- Potential Importance 01:03:13 -- Conclusion 01:04:34 -- Channel Update

I think that he is referring to a relative of the RT-61/MO-120 mortar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_120mm_Rayé_Tracté_Modèle_F1 Apparently, the USMC used it for a bit, here you can see the rifling. and the barrel..

Several valid points to be considered, thank you!

Thanks! That is very useful information! IIRC, the power plant on the T-64 has always been a pain point even in its heyday.

So there are operational losses to be considered? Due to lack of spare parts? Or maintenance crews and adequate facilities? Or a mix of all of the above? It isn't too surprising, these machines likely have a lot of tough usage hours on them. I would expect some priority being given to keeping them running and fully functional though. If that isn't the case it is fairly telling.

On this side of the pond, the U.S. Senate has approved (95-1) the resolution supporting Finland's and Sweden's decision to join NATO. The next step will be for President Biden's signature and the paperwork getting sent to NATO. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3586658-senate-ratifies-accession-of-sweden-and-finland-to-nato/ IIRC, that makes it 20 down 10 more to go.

It is always easy to begin a war, but very difficult to stop one. -- Gaius Sallustius Crispus I see your Machiavelli and raise you Sallust.

That sounds like a completely reasonable way to get new recruits up to snuff. Getting them up to the front for a few weeks, getting schooled by the veterans who've been there and are still alive to talk about it; the important stuff you need to know that doesn't come from a book, what to do, what not to do and how to stay alive. I can't think of a better way of quickly leveling up a bunch of green troops. How about the officers and NCOs? Are the recruits under inexperienced leaders? Or is there a cadre of experienced leadership that can keep their wits about them when things get hot and give the new troops a sense of confidence?

Its that time of the week again, another Perun video is out. Timestamps: 00:00 -- Opening words 01:33 -- What am I covering? 02:46 -- SPONSOR: GROUND NEWS 04:20 -- What's in a defence budget 05:56 -- People Costs 07:03 -- System Costs 09:04 -- System Sourcing 09:36 -- Example 1: Bring it in 12:29 -- Example 2: Domestic production 14:58 -- The make or buy decision 16:49 -- The hard decisions 17:58 -- Foreign Import 19:01 -- Kit Assembly 20:28 -- Licensed/local production 22:22 -- Domestic productions 23:07 -- Why not indigenise 23:28 -- Barriers to domestic production 23:56 -- Complexity and cost of entry 27:03 -- Indigenous fighter programs 29:16 -- Manufacturing scale 31:50 -- Development risks 33:59 -- Competitive advantage 36:55 -- Case Study: The US advantage 37:21 -- Dominant consumer & producer 39:59 -- Production costs 41:13 -- Scale 43:17 -- Learning curves 45:03 -- Risk mitigation 46:54 -- Accumulated advantage 49:40 -- American arms ecosystem 52:42 -- A tale of two aircrafts 55:26 -- A question for another time… 55:57 -- Conclusion 57:13 -- Channel update

Has there been any indication which version these will be, the NASAMS-2 using the AIM-120 (30lm range) or the NASAMS-3 using the AMRAM-ER (50 km range)? The usual sources aren't providing much in the way of specifics.

I haven't seen this interview with LTG (ret) Hertling posted here yet. No surprises, just more eyes waiting to see what UA does in Kherson.

"Loitering munitions" please, we don't want to upset the civilians.

Its that time of the week again and another relevant topic for conversation is available from Perun.

The_Capt defined his terminology in his post way, way, back in April. Hard to keep up with all of the excellent information in this thread!

Finally got a timeout to be able to watch it. Excellent presentation and a great job!

It just popped up on my YT feed, can't watch it ATM but looking forward to it. Thanks

The US Army has been experimenting with a hybrid Bradley for some time, we'll have to see if they decide to go with it in FY23. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/04/27/us-army-to-choose-whether-itll-pursue-a-hybrid-bradley-vehicle-in-fy23/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dfn-rss-zap

Another Perun video is now up and relevant to the current discussion.